Finding ways to better understand your players

gamesindustry.biz:

You know the games you love – but do you know why you love them? Can you explain why something is cool, but something else just doesn't do it for you?

Most people can't, and it is a tricky challenge even for game developers. While players can often identify elements they like – such as colors, puzzles, or characters – they rarely can elaborate why the elements appeal to them. As game developers, we need to understand not only what players like to play, but also the why behind it.

There are a range of methods to answer the two questions. The more traditional and obvious methods, like playtests, player surveys, market research, and in-game analytics, are useful for understanding what it is people enjoy to play. The second question – why does this audience enjoy whatever it is they do – is trickier! It requires gaining insights into the intrinsic motivations of individuals.

Luckily, this is not a new field of work. Maybe you've heard of terms like "Meyers-Briggs," "heuristics," or "personality tests." It's all about trying to understand what makes a person tick, whether it's in gaming, retail, the workplace, or relationships. In gaming specifically, terms like "player personas," "player archetypes," or "Bartle Player Types" might sound familiar.

But what does that actually mean, and how can you integrate it into your development? Here are three steps that game developers can follow to integrate player psychology into game development and create experiences that truly resonate with players. Let's dig in!

At Metacore, players are the closest thing to a boss. To create a game that truly resonates with players, identifying an audience before diving into detailed game design is crucial. We approach this in two ways when developing new game concepts:

Idea first: We start with an idea for a game mechanic, world, or genre, then identify which players would enjoy this concept.

Audience first: Alternatively, we may want to create a new game for a specific audience, rather than find an